Sunday, November 27

City Oilers 71-62 Urunani

Uganda's City Oilers took the last ticket to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2023 after beating Urunani 71-62 in Sunday’s third-place playoff game in the Road to BAL Elite 16 Division East Group F at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.

The win over Urunani was a sweet revenge for the Oilers, who lost to the Burundian club in the preliminary qualifiers in October in Tanzania.

The game from the tip-off was obviously a dogfight, with the Oilers finishing the first quarter with a one-point lead (27-26).

Germain Roebuck Jr. found his form and was key to the Ugandan basketball powerhouse in their winner-takes-all battle.

His double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds) helped to carry his team to their first BAL tournament.

Big man Ngor Barnaba and shooting guard Fayed Baale also contributed 1 points each to the Ugandan side, closing out their Elite 16 campaign on a high.

The Oilers had fewer turnovers, 16, compared to Urunani's 19.

It was a well-deserved victory for them indeed as they rose from underdogs to the winners of the encounter to sum up Adonis Filer-inspired Urunani’s campaign in shocking end.

"I am happy and proud of my players. The work that we have put in over the last three years has finally paid off,” said City Oilers head coach Mandy Juruni.

"The win means a lot for our country. Ugandan basketball has been on the rise at the national team level. Now we are going to play in a top league in Africa," he added.

It's an emotional evening for the Oilers after an impressive campaign in South Africa earned them a ticket that guard Germaine Roebuck Jr. said was well-deserved, "because we worked so hard to get here.”

The list of the 12 clubs qualified for the BAL 2023:

Egypt- Al Ahly

Senegal- As Douanes

Angola- Petro de Luanda

Tunisia- US Monastir

Rwanda- REG

Nigeria- Kwara Falcons

Guinea- SLAC

Coted'voire- ABC

Mali- Stade Malien

Mozambique- Ferroviário da Beira

South Africa- Cape Town Tigers

Uganda- City Oilers